FARM COLUMN: Reindeer are popular animals on many farms

It is that time of year again: Christmas lights are hung, trees are decorated, music and smells of cookies fill the house. It's time to wait for the "big guy" to visit our homes with the clatter of reindeer hooves on our roofs.

Could I be so lucky this year with two little ones at home to perhaps get a glimpse of these magical creatures? According to some very accurate information I found on the internet, Santa only spends an average of two minutes at each home on Christmas Eve, so that doesn't give us a lot of time to see his reindeer. But we can always hope.

Thank goodness there are a number of reindeer farms throughout the world that give all of us an opportunity to see these beautiful animals year-round. Millions of them live throughout the world. In one area of Russia alone, more than 2 million animals make up one of the herds. Herds may be decreasing, however, because of global warming.

Don't get the reindeer confused with their cousins, the caribou. Although it was thought they were one and the same, reindeer are much shorter - about eight to 10 inches - and there is a difference in coat color.

Reindeer are believed by many to be the first domesticated animals, dating back to the 9th century where the king of Norway boasted about his herd of more than 600 reindeer.

Rumor has it that all of Santa's reindeer are female. Reindeer are the only deer where both male and females grow antlers. Even though both grow them each year, males tend to lose their antlers in late December. Some of the older bulls may keep them until early January, still giving the possibility that Santa has a few males pulling the bulk of the load.

There are a number of reindeer farms in Wisconsin. Reindeer offer many of the same products as all other deer, from the velvet antlers to the meat and many of the same by-products. They can be raised on the same farm as other deer and livestock, which helps to reduce operational costs.

Raising reindeer requires little maintenance and the creatures are especially easy to handle, more so if they are bottle-fed as babies. While they tolerate cold winters, reindeer can be raised all over the United States, even on farms in Texas and Mississippi. Reindeer are very popular especially in the state of Michigan, where the state 4-H organization has included a program for enterprising members.

Before you purchase reindeer for your farm, be sure to check with other producers to find out about necessary feeds and other needs they have. Many farms with reindeer often provide animals for parades and other events during the holiday season. They can be trained to pull a sleigh or be ridden.

Do you want to see Santa's official reindeer? Visit www.reindeercam.com to watch them resting up for their big trip or see Santa feed them at 10 a.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Hopefully, the North Pole will get some more snow before winter really sets in.

While I won't be making that phone call to add reindeer to our farm or have that split-second chance to see them on the rooftop, I do hope to be able to get to an event this December to see these "magical" creatures.

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FARM COLUMN: Reindeer are popular animals on many farms

It is that time of year again: Christmas lights are hung, trees are decorated, music and smells of cookies fill the house. It's time to wait for the 'big guy' to visit our homes with the clatter of

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